Best Practice Guidelines for Pre-Launch Characterization and Calibration of Instruments for Passive Optical Remote Sensing.

The pre-launch characterization and calibration of remote sensing instruments should be planned and carried out in conjunction with their design and development to meet the mission requirements. The onboard calibrators such as blackbodies and the sensors such as spectral radiometers should be characterized and calibrated using SI traceable standards. In the case of earth remote sensing, this allows inter-comparison and intercalibration of different sensors in space to create global time series of climate records of high accuracy where some inevitable data gaps can be easily bridged. The recommended best practice guidelines for this pre-launch effort is presented based on experience gained at National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) programs over the past two decades. The currently available radiometric standards and calibration facilities at NIST serving the remote sensing community are described. Examples of best practice calibrations and intercomparisons to build SI (international System of Units) traceable uncertainty budget in the instrumentation used for preflight satellite sensor calibration and validation are presented.

Optimally Toothed Apertures for Reduced Diffraction.

We model diffraction errors found when using toothed apertures [L. P. Boivin, Reduction of diffraction errors in radiometry by means of toothed apertures, Appl. Opt. 17, 3323-3328 (1978)]. Using toothed (cf. circular) apertures minimizes diffraction by inducing destructive interference within the diffracted signal. Since diffraction effects can be quite complicated, their over-all reduction may help limit uncertainties in, say calibrations. Our analysis yields three principles to guide design of nonlimiting (baffle) apertures which minimize diffrac tion. We performed detailed diffraction calculations within scalar (Kirchoff) diffraction theory, using parallel-computing resources at the National Institute of Standards and Technology.

Development of a Bolometer Detector System for the NIST High Accuracy Infrared Spectrophotometer.

A bolometer detector system was developed for the high accuracy infrared spectrophotometer at the National Institute of Standards and Technology to provide maximum sensitivity, spatial uniformity, and linearity of response covering the entire infrared spectral range. The spatial response variation was measured to be within 0.1 %. The linearity of the detector output was measured over three decades of input power. After applying a simple correction procedure, the detector output was found to deviate less than 0.2 % from linear behavior over this range. The noise equivalent power (NEP) of the bolometer system was 6 × 10-12 [Formula: see text] at the frequency of 80 Hz. The detector output 3 dB roll-off frequency was 200 Hz. The detector output was stable to within ± 0.05 % over a 15 min period. These results demonstrate that the bolometer detector system will serve as an excellent detector for the high accuracy infrared spectrophotometer.

Statistical Interpretation of Key Comparison Reference Value and Degrees of Equivalence.

Key comparisons carried out by the Consultative Committees (CCs) of the International Committee of Weights and Measures (CIPM) or the Bureau International des Poids et Mesures (BIPM) are referred to as CIPM key comparisons. The outputs of a statistical analysis of the data from a CIPM key comparison are the key comparison reference value, the degrees of equivalence, and their associated uncertainties. The BIPM publications do not discuss statistical interpretation of these outputs. We discuss their interpretation under the following three statistical models: nonexistent laboratory-effects model, random laboratory-effects model, and systematic laboratory-effects model.

Cryogenic Blackbody Calibrations at the National Institute of Standards and Technology Low Background Infrared Calibration Facility.

The Low Background Infrared Calibration Facility (LBIR) at the National Institute of Standards and Technology has been in operation for calibration measurements of the radiant power emitted from infrared radiation (IR) sources, such as cryogenic blackbodies, for more than 2 years. The IR sources are sent to NIST by customers from industry, government, and university laboratories. An absolute cryogenic radiometer is used as the standard detector to measure the total radiant power at its aperture. The low background is provided by a closed cycle helium refrigeration system that maintains the inner parts of the calibration chamber at 20 K. The radiance temperature of the blackbody is deduced from the measured power and compared with the blackbody temperature sensor data. The calibration procedures and data analysis are illustrated using the measurements of a typical blackbody.

Erratum: Statistical Interpretation of Key Comparison Reference Value and Degrees of Equivalence.

[This corrects the article on p. 439 in vol. 108.].

Experimental measurements and noise analysis of a cryogenic radiometer.

A cryogenic radiometer device, intended for use as part of an electrical-substitution radiometer, was measured at low temperature. The device consists of a receiver cavity mechanically and thermally connected to a temperature-controlled stage through a thin-walled polyimide tube which serves as a weak thermal link. With the temperature difference between the receiver and the stage measured in millikelvin and the electrical power measured in picowatts, the measured responsivity was 4700 K/mW and the measured thermal time constant was 14 s at a stage temperature of 1.885 K. Noise analysis in terms of Noise Equivalent Power (NEP) was used to quantify the various fundamental and technical noise contributions, including phonon noise and Johnson-Nyquist noise. The noise analysis clarifies the path toward a cryogenic radiometer with a noise floor limited by fundamental phonon noise, where the magnitude of the phonon NEP is 6.5 fW/√Hz for the measured experimental parameters.

Testing the radiometric accuracy of Fourier transform infrared transmittance measurements.

We have investigated the ordinate scale accuracy of ambient temperature transmittance measurements made with a Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) spectrophotometer over the wavelength range of 2-10 mum. Two approaches are used: (1) measurements of Si wafers whose index of refraction are well known from 2 to 5 mum, in which case the FT-IR result is compared with calculated values; (2) comparison of FT-IR and laser transmittance measurements at 3.39 and 10.6 mum on nominally neutral-density filters that are free of etaloning effects. Various schemes are employed to estimate and reduce systematic error sources in both the FT-IR and laser measurements, and quantitative uncertainty analyses are performed.

Population inversions in C IV in a recombing theta-pinch plasma.

Population inversions on the 5g-4f and 4f-3d transitions of C IV at 253.0 and 116.9 nm have been observed in the recombination phase of a theta-pinch plasma initially containing 14 mTorr of acetylene and 0.5 mTorr of hydrogen gas. Population ratios of 17:11:1 for the 5g, 4f, and 3d levels were deduced from measured absolute line intensities of the 5g-4f and 4f-3d, and 3d-2p transitions at 253.0, 116.9, and 38.4 nm. The resulting gain-length product for a single pass through the 23-cm-long plasma column, based on the measured Doppler-broadened linewidth, is 2.3% at 116.9 nm and 5.8% at 253.0 nm.

Transmittance measurements for filters of optical density between one and ten.

We have developed a facility for measuring the transmittance of optical filters at a wavelength of 1064 nm, using a Nd:YAG laser, a power stabilizer, and linear photodiode detectors. A direct measurement method was used for filters with optical densities (OD's) less than or equal to 4, and a reference substitution technique was used for filters with OD's as great as 10. The apparatus and data-acquisition system are described. Measurement results for a set of filters are presented. The expanded uncertainties for the measured OD and deduced absorption coefficient are determined through a detailed analysis of all the uncertainty components.

Characterization of an absolute cryogenic radiometer as a standard detector for radiant-power measurements.

An active cavity radiometer of the electrical substitution type with a cone receiver that operates at 2-4 K has been developed for measuring radiant fluxes in the dynamic range of 20 nW to 100 microW within an uncertainty of +/-1% (2sigmalevel). It is a broadband absolute detector with a flat overall absorption efficiency that is >99% for radiation from the visible to long-wavelength IR. The system is designed based on thermal modeling and experimental measurements of concepts. It has been installed in the cryogenic chamber for low-background infrared radiation calibrations at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) for testing cryogenic blackbody sources, detectors, and optical components. Its time constant, responsivity, and nonequivalence error have been measured. They are in agreement with design predictions. Radiant power measurements of an amplitude-stabilized He-Ne laser beam with the radiometer and an industry standard photodiode detector, QED-200, have been intercompared and found to be in agreement. The intercomparison ratio of the measurements with the absolute cryogenic radiometer and QED-200 was 1.004 in the 75-100-microW range with an uncertainty of 0.5% (the 3sigma level).